In a case that has sparked an international outcry, the girl, who is said to be suffering from a learning disability, was arrested on August 16 for allegedly burning pages containing verses from the Quran.

Last week the imam was remanded in custody for allegedly planting burned pages of the Quran in the girl's bag.

Pakistan private TV channels broadcast footage of the girl wearing a traditional baggy green shirt and dark green trousers stepping out of an armoured vehicle and then sitting in a helicopter.

The case sparked international criticism of Pakistan's controversial blasphemy laws.

Tampering with evidence

Campaigners stepped up calls for the girl's release after police last Saturday arrested the cleric for allegedly tampering with evidence.

His deputy and two assistants said Hafiz Mohammed Khalid Chishti tried to bolster the case against the girl by planting pages from the Quran among the burnt papers that were brought to him.

Under Pakistan's strict blasphemy laws, insulting the prophet Mohammed is punishable by death and burning a sacred text by life imprisonment.

Blasphemy is a very sensitive subject in Pakistan, where 97 per cent of the 180 million population are Muslims, and allegations of insulting Islam or the prophet Mohammed often prompt a furious public reaction.

Rights groups have called on Pakistan to reform its blasphemy legislation, which they say is often abused to settle personal vendettas.

Last year, leading politician Salman Taseer and a Christian cabinet minister, Shahbaz Bhatti, were assassinated after calling for the law to be reformed.